Well built, with a good looking, ergonomic design - the minimalist body makes the display the center of attraction

Modern, tall 18:9 display, with a great contrast ratio - comes across as more vibrant than the display on its top competitor, the Redmi Note 5 Pro

Runs clean and simple stock Android UI - there’s hardly any bloatware save for a third-party payment app and Asus promises version updates less than two months after Google pushes it out (till Android Q)

The performance is top bracket for this price range with the modern Snapdragon 636 chipset - the one that was introduced by Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 Pro in the mid-range segment and effectively blew the competition away

Decent dual camera setup on the rear, with decent bokeh effects too

Good front camera - the selfies actually come out well-detailed with the right amount exposure and minimal beauty effects - it can also take portrait selfies and unlike other selfie-centric phones like the Oppo F7, the background isn’t overexposed to make the portrait stand out

The mono speaker on the phone is quite loud as well, thanks to a built-in NXP amplifier and a 5-magnet speaker (though its positioning could have been better)

Dedicated microSD slot and dual SIM slots

Very good 5000mAh battery, which can give you up to 2 days with moderate use

Asus also bundles a fast charger with the device that can charge the phone to its full capacity in around 2 hours 30 minutes

Comes (for a limited time) with Flipkart's Complete Mobile Protection offer for just Rs. 49, that add the cherry on the cake

On the whole, the Max Pro M1 is a brilliant comeback from Asus, and matches the best in the market, the Redmi Note 5 Pro, feature for feature - in fact, it actually beats the Note 5 Pro in terms of having a hassle-free stock UI, dedicated SD card slot, and longer battery life - although it falls behind it in terms of camera - so, what you finally chose will depend on what you value more, but this is nevertheless a competition between 2 top notch phones

Beautiful, premium, glass-based design - arguably the best-looking smartphone in its price range - takes a lot of cues from its expensive brethren (like the Honor 10) in its design which basically means that you are getting a modern looking smartphone for quite an affordable price

Very good collection of colors, so you can pick to your taste (something not common in the budget price bracket)

The build quality is great too - the smartphone feels solid in hand and is very well build - the glass on glass construction gives it a premium vibe

Compact size - the smartphone is perfect for one-handed use and is neither too small nor too large - anyone who appreciates ergonomics will like this phone

Excellent display - a 5.84-inch IPS LCD panel which has a resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels and a modern 19:9 aspect ratio (with minimal bezels) which means that you are getting more vertical space which is good for things like reading and social media apps - overall it is one of the best IPS panels in this price bracket - the colors are on point and the display features very good viewing angles - it also gets fairly bright and sunlight visibility is no problem here

Huawei’s EMUI skin, though somewhat bloated, brings a tons of customizability, features, and theming capabilities which is not found on stock Android (it also uses lots of vibrant colors in its iconography which depending on your preferences you might like or not)

Decent set of dual rear cameras - the phone is able to capture good pictures in bright light conditions - with ample details, low noise, and good dynamic range - even the portrait shots are above average with the background blur not feeling artificial

Decent selfie camera too, in good lighting conditions

Good call quality with effective noise cancellation

Dual-SIM with dual-4G standby support

The speaker gets fairly loud (however, it is very easy to muffle with your fingers, so you have to be careful while using the phone in landscape mode)

Good (though not exceptional) battery life - with moderate use, you will end up 20% battery left in the tank, at the end of the day

2-minute Review [Negatives]

The display lacks scratch protection, so you will need to use a screen guard

The dual rear cameras are decent overall for this price bracket, but not quite up to the high standard now set for the mid range with the Redmi Note 5 Pro - there is no wow factor in the images - the highlights get clipped often and details in the textures aren't as prominent

The camera app UI is not the most elegant

One of the main issues with the phone is in terms of performance - day-to-day experience is not always smooth - there are occasional stutters, and launching apps takes a tad bit longer than they should - a lot of this might also have to do with EMUI not being optimised, apart from the aging chipset

No fast charging support - takes about 2.5 hours to charge fully

On the whole, the Honor 9N, while it looks gorgeous, is let down by both its performance - if you want good all-round devices you should look at the likes of Redmi Note 5 Pro, or ZenFone Max Pro instead - both these phones bring faster processors, better cameras, and larger batteries

Expert Reviews

If a smartphone's battery is your top priority, then you're going to be hard pressed to find a cheaper phone with better battery life